Featured Posts

Monday, December 31, 2012

Greetings in the joy of Faith!!! As you know the Year of Faith begins tomorrow. Please be sure to visit and promote www.CatholicFamilyPrayer.orgas we begin this grace filled year. Please watch the Bishop’s video which was just uploaded this afternoon. (Spanish website is www.oracionenfamilia.org)

Monday, December 24, 2012

Fr. Luke Suarez and Msgr. Robert Weiss serve at St. Rose of Lima parish in the heart of the shattered New England town. CV blogger Tom Crowe personally knows Fr. Luke as he was in seminary with him for a year.

Tom also knows Fr. Luke's sister, who penned the note below.

We send it along and hope you will be moved to act on her suggestion.

- Your Friends at CatholicVote.org

My friends,

All of you, I am sure, have heard so much about the tragedy in Newtown, CT. Many of you have received emails from me about my younger brother, Father Luke Suarez, who is a priest at St. Rose of Lima parish, a Catholic church just down the road from Sandy Hook Elementary. He, and his pastor, Monsignor Weiss, arrived at the school within moments of the shooting, and have been caring for the community ever since. The picture I have included was taken at the school.

Father Luke has an impossible task before him. His diocese is without a bishop right now…. Monsignor … is personally devastated by the losses. The parish is very large…. The rectory has received serious threats, and as my brother gave the homily Sunday at the noon mass, the church had to be evacuated by SWAT teams. After experiencing identity theft and online hacking incidents, he had to erase all of his internet accounts. After a weekend of endless media requests, notifications and vigils with heartbroken families, and little sleep, he now has two wakes and two funerals every day, until the fourth Sunday of Advent. Father Luke has not even been ordained two years.

My large family has been trying to send Father Luke our love and support from afar, and one of my brothers was able to visit with him briefly a couple times. All he asks for is prayer.

I have been wracking my brain, trying to think of a way that our beautiful, loving community could tangibly reach out to Father Luke, Monsignor Weiss, and the St. Rose parish, to support them in this most awful of times. I have sent many prayer requests, and I am asking for more prayers again. But I also want to ask everyone to search their hearts, and if the Holy Spirit moves you, please consider sending one of your family’s Christmas cards to the rectory, with a few words of love and encouragement. Here is his address:

Father Luke Suarez 46 Church Hill Road Newtown, CT 06470

My brother has said over and over again that without the prayer support he is receiving, he could not keep going. And this week is only the beginning. Everyone there is still in shock. Their peaceful home has been desecrated by violence. They will need to live with this sorrow forever.

But in our weakness is His strength. Grace abounds. Can you help me carry him through this time of trial?

On a hopeful note, Father Luke did say that no media coverage has even touched the deep, beautiful awakening of faith that has occurred there. Their tiny church, where my children have received sacraments and where Luke was ordained, has been full of people in prayer without ceasing since this tragedy happened. Love is stronger than death.

Please feel free to share the address with your family, friends, and community. An outpouring of love will sustain these good priests through their impossible ministry–impossible on their own, but possible with God.

I am so grateful to live in this community. We are all so blessed with one another. Every day, I see you all loving one another as Christ loved. Thank you for letting me reach out to you now.

As the year 2012 comes to a close, Connie and I would like to take a moment to wish everyone a Christmas filled with joy and peace, and a blessed and Happy New Year!

As we reflect on this past year, we realize how blessed we have been in the many friendships we have formed and in the support we have received from each and every one of you.

We are continually amazed at the outpouring of selfless love and caring that is being shown to our brothers and sisters in Christ here in Arizona. Whether it is in support of Special Olympics, Silver Rose, St. Vincent de Paul food bank collections, national disasters such as Hurricane Sandy or projects within your own neighborhoods, the Knights of Columbus continue to demonstrate to the communities around Arizona and the world that they truly are “the strong right arm of the Church”.

As we begin the year 2013, let us keep in mind our responsibilities to uphold religious freedoms and the right to life. Let us also continue to reflect on and participate in this “Year of Faith” by actively living our faith and inviting others to join our order so they too can live their faith more deeply. As Pope Benedict said in a private audience with the Knights of Columbus in Oct. 2008, “may the Knights of Columbus discover ever new ways to serve as a leaven of the Gospel in the world and a force for the renewal of the Church in holiness and apostolic zeal”.

May God continue to bless all of you and your families with good health, peace and happiness, and may He continue to bless the Knights of Columbus.

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Our parish and community were deeply affected by the events at the Sandy Hook Elementary School. Newtown Connecticut is 55% Catholic and our Church, St Rose of Lima, has suffered a heavy toll. This week we are having 8 funerals, most of them for children. Many, many people have asked how they can help. One way is with your prayers. Therefore the Newtown Knights of Columbus are asking religious organizations, fellow Knights of Columbus councils, and individuals to say three Hail Mary's (at least) for us:

one for the victims and their families,

one for the first responders and teachers,

and one for our town to give us strength to support the afflicted.

Then email the name of your organization, the location, the number of people present, and the number of Hail Mary's that were said to HailMary@kofc185.org. We will keep track of the total and who said them. At an appropriate time, we will present this list to the people who so badly need our prayers.

We are doing this simply to console the brokenhearted among us. We want to let them know in a concrete way that we are thinking about them, care about them and are praying for them. Unfortunately in this situation, there is not much we can offer except our thoughts and prayers. Hopefully this gesture and our prayers will provide some comfort to those who have faced unimaginable sorrow.

With over 14,000 Knights of Columbus councils, we are hoping to collect a long list of prayers for our people. Please support this prayer drive and pass it on to your organizations and other councils.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

100th RED CROSS BLOOD DRIVE CELEBRATION--- Council10441 blood drive held on Veterans Day, Sunday, November 11th, was the 100th blood drive held by our Council at Saint Thomas the Apostle parish, Tucson Arizona. The Council has collected a grand total of 5,659 pints for our Tucson Community as well as for our military. To celebrate this mile stone event the Red Cross provided a birthday cake for the donors, workers and Council Knights. Knights Celebrating blood drive event in photo are: (l to r)

Save the Date - Catholic Men's Conference is on Saturday, February 9, 2013

Dear Friends:We are very excited to announce our 6th annual Men's Conference will be held at Grand Canyon University arena.

Nationally Known Speakers

Our confirmed speakers include: Most Reverend Thomas J. Olmsted, Dr. Scott Hahn, Hector Molina, Fr. Thomas Rosica and Jonathan Reyes. Our Emcee will be Former All-Star Major League Catcher Terry Kennedy and music provided by Catholic Singer/Songwriter Chris Muglia. In addition we have some surprises this year that we will tell you about in the next few weeks.

Schedule

Doors will open at 8am so you will be able to grab a bite at the arena concessions and find a seat before the program kicks off at 8:45am. The day will end with Mass offered by Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted and once again the day includes a hearty lunch.

Registration Begins December 1st

Registration begins December 1, 2012 on the CMFP website. Begin putting together your groups of men because there will be a considerable discount offered for purchases of ten or more tickets. You will want to purchase your tickets early to avoid a potential sellout.

Catholic Men's Fellowship is here to serve the men of the Diocese of Phoenix. We envision Catholic men linked as brothers, sharing the love of Jesus Christ. We believe that all Catholic men need to take their rightful place in their families, Church, and communities as men of God.